The invention relates to molecular pathology, and more particularly to systems and methods for processing and imaging biological samples.
Biological samples are used for analytic and diagnostic purposes, such as diagnosing diseased tissue at a molecular level. A biological sample, such as tissue sections or tissue micro arrays (TMA) typically stained with a morphological stain or biomarker are analyzed manually with a microscope. Alternatively, an image of the tissue is acquired for subsequent analysis or comparison. After the first stain is applied and imaged, one or more serial or successive stains or biomarkers may be applied and the tissue may be analyzed again. The two or more serial images may then be compared. A single staining cycle may comprise the steps of applying a stain (antibody) over the tissue, incubating the stain for an appropriate time, rinsing away the stain to reduce background fluorescence, imaging the slide, and bleaching away the stain. In multiplexed applications, where one or more samples are stained with a plurality of stains, sequential staining, rinsing, and bleaching cycles may be required. For example in multiplexed applications, the tissue may need to be stained with multiple molecular probes to investigate protein expression or spatial distribution quantitatively or qualitatively. Thus, the total time of operation is generally a sum of time required for each of these steps multiplied by the total number of applied stains.
The staining process is typically performed using time-consuming manual techniques that are susceptible to error. Further, the image acquisition unit, such as a microscope, is usually idle during the time when the samples are being processed for imaging. Similarly, when the samples are being imaged, sample processing devices such as staining devices, may remain idle. In instances where the image acquisition unit or sample processing unit is left idle during the time when the sample is with the other unit, the overall time of the process may increase significantly.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide systems and methods for processing and imaging the biological samples with enhanced throughput and reduced idle time. It is also desirable to provide an automated process that reduces manual intervention and overall cost associated with the idle time of components of the system.